Reviews

Sega GT 2002

A few auxiliary game types compliment the GT mode, though only one of them is truly interesting. The other two are Quick Battle (replace "battle" with "race," and there you have it), and Time Attack. The third is Chronicle mode, which puts you behind the wheels of specific classic cars, in what can only be described as a mini career mode.

Depending on which racing series you choose to partake, you'll race through time (in a sense), progressing through races populated with cars of the same eras. As you place in these races you'll earn points which you can use to upgrade the car you're using in that series, by means of a toned-down version of the GT mode's modification system. The mode is quite cool overall, and it serves as a nice showcase for the classic cars. It also has a few neat stylistic touches to it, like the way that the races begin in black and white, and gradually bleed into full color. It feels a little bit superfluous, to an extent, but that's only because of its inclusion alongside an extremely comprehensive career mode.

In terms of the number of cars, the game falls well short of GT3's count of twelve bazillion, but it's got somewhere around 110, depending on how you're counting, and chances are that you'll find something that you can at least sort of fetishize. Most of the major manufacturers are present (BMW being a notable no-show), each boasting a whole bunch of cars. The list is comprehensive, though it's quite skewed towards Japanese manufacturers, seemingly to the point of thinning-down what should have been stronger presences by other companies. So ultimately, if you're into Japanese cars, then you're hooked up. Conversely, if you're into Euros, then you're going to be coming up short.

You'll get some of the cooler views by means of the game's replay mode.

The graphics really bear no mention, and this isn't because they're bad. It's because they're so polished and detailed that they look real, at least as far as the cars go. The models are dizzyingly impressive -- the lighting and reflection effects really make them come alive. As you'll spend most of your time in a first-person view mode, the place where you'll enjoy these looks most is in the game's post-race replays. You can swap angles and such, as you'd imagine, and if you place high enough, you'll also be able to snap photos, which will be displayed in your garage. It's a neat little touch.

In truth, the one area in which the game feels the weakest is certainly its track count. There are only eight tracks in the game, and several of these are just longer or shorter variations of others. You'll sort of want for varied scenery as a result, and, especially when you're just racing for kicks outside of the GT mode, it kind of sucks. The bottom line, though, is that if you're into these sorts of games, then this is definitely the most robust experience you'll find on the Xbox.

Driving through snow.

Rallisport Challenge is much more specialized, and, arguably, better executed, but Sega GT 2002's experience is much more comprehensive. It'll take you about an hour to get into the groove of the game's controls, but once you're in, it's smooth sailing. It's ultimately a game that stands strong on its own merits, and is built with an impressive level of polish to boot. Let's hope it's only the start of something great.